As India gear up to start its Super 8 campaign in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, former head coach Ravi Shastri has said that the team has all bases covered.
The Men in Blue have qualified for the second phase of the tournament in a dominant fashion. They won all of their four group games and will be keen on extending the unbeaten run. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side began its campaign with a win over the USA before beating Namibia, Pakistan and Netherlands.
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Their next game is against South Africa. The Proteas have also won all four of their games so far and India will have their task cut out against them.
Ravi Shastri on India’s team combination:
Ahead of India’s crucial match against South Africa, Ravi Shastri said that the team management is unlikely to make any changes to the combination. With Abhishek Sharma registering three ducks in the group stage, there have been calls from several quarters to drop him for Sanju Samson. However, Ravi Shastri believes that the Indian team is unlikely to make that change.
“I think it will be pretty much the same side because you’ve got depth, you’ve got all bases covered, you’ve got options, you need options,” Ravi Shastri told The ICC Review.
“When there’s dew around, you need that extra bowling option. Whether it’s a Shivam Dube, whether it’s Hardik (Pandya) bowling his full quota of overs, whether it’s Tilak Varma who might roll his arm for an over or two, you need those options. I don’t think they’ll tinker with the side. I think the team that played in the last game was a good side.
“I think the positive (for India) is that in every game there’s been someone who stood up. It has been Ishan Kishan, sometimes Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) in the first game. Tilak Varma has played his part. He’s got off to starts but I still think the best of him is still to come,” he added.
‘It’s going to be a cracking contest’
Ravi Shastri further said that the game between India and South Africa is going to be a cracking contest. It will be the first World Cup match between the two teams since India defeated South Africa in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
While India will be slight favourites for the match thanks to their recent form and home advantage, Ravi Shastri was quick to fire a warning to the hosts. The former cricketer-turned-commentator stated that South Africa will be no pushovers and called them one of the strongest teams in the competition.
“There’s a lot of self-belief and you know it’s going to be a cracking contest because South Africa are no pushovers, they’ll compete for sure. And it’s a repeat of the World Cup final of 2024, so everyone’s looking forward to it,” Shastri said.
“They’ve got depth in batting. India have got depth in batting. I think this is a cracking contest. This is two of the strongest teams, one would say, playing in this tournament, playing this game on the 22nd. Because you’d have to give them that credit because they were World Cup finalists last time around and they’re playing to potential at the moment,” he added.
Toss can play a crucial role in games like this – Ravi Shastri
The game between India and South Africa will be played in Ahmedabad. The Proteas have spent a considerable amount of time in Ahmedabad in the ongoing tournament and will be keen on making the most of it. They have played three of their four group games at the venue. Shastri pointed out that South Africa will be well aware of the conditions in Ahmedabad.
“100 per cent. When you’re familiar with the ground, you’re familiar with the angles, you know which will be the long boundary, which would be the shorter side,” he said.
“So, you know what lengths to bowl and they will come well prepared, as would India. The thing to see is the amount of dew. See, dew can make a lot of difference. Toss can play a crucial role in games like this,” he added.
